08/29/2025
Federation's Older Adult Task Force Seeks to Expand Services
Photo / Kampus Production / Pexles
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
by Lydia Kacala
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Older Adult Task Force spent more than a year identifying priorities within Cleveland’s aging Jewish community and ways to provide support, releasing its findings in mid-April.
Now, over 1½ years since its inception, the Federation’s Older Adult Task Force is working to expand the services available to seniors within the Cleveland Jewish community.
Margolis
Emily Shapiro, director of planning and evaluation at the Federation, and Kevin Margolis, a member of the Older Adult Task Force and chair of the community planning committee for the Federation, told the Cleveland Jewish News at this moment, following the Federation’s allocation, the task force is putting its energy toward implementing programming that will be beneficial to seniors in the community.
“Right now, we’re really focused on that implementation component, so turning the recommendations from the task force into reality,” Shapiro said. “So, whether that means focusing on sustaining those existing programs that Kevin provided an overview of that serve hundreds of older adults every day, looking at enhancing those programs, and then also launching new initiatives based on the priorities of the task force, under care navigation, reducing isolation, housing and supportive services, and transportation.”
Margolis said the task force is “zeroing in” on the priorities announced in its April 2025 initial findings – housing, transportation and reducing isolation – to ensure that it isn’t taking on too much at one time and programs are implemented properly.
Shapiro
“Our primary role was to figure out what the needs of the community were, where they’re greatest and to help guide our resources because resources aren’t unlimited,”Margolis said. “So, (we) figured out where are the resources and how can we plan our use of them so that they’re used the best and they’re prioritized and with the task force recommendations guiding our plans, we looked at how we could do this strategically.”
As part of its efforts to implement and expand programming, the Federation’s Older Adult task Force is investing in programs expanding socialization opportunities at the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland in Beachwood, services offering connection and support to Jewish residents at senior living facilities with Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland in Pepper Pike and increasing access to Jewish Cleveland, Margolis said.
This year, the Older Adult Task Force received a one-time allocation of $510,000 to directly address the task force’s priorities, in addition to other support provided by the Federation to individual organizations, he said. Funds for the task force were provided by the Federation’s Endowment Fund Committee and the Menorah Park Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Federation.
Margolis said the task force was not a “one-and-done kind of a program” and it will continue to refine its efforts towards supporting the aging Jewish population in Cleveland, working to create new programs and opportunities.
“None of these issues are going away and, in true Federation fashion, it’s continually looking at these issues and seeing, perhaps as they change, and things sometimes change over time, thinking about issues like care navigation, because that landscape of care changes, so how can we assist community members in navigating their own care,” Margolis said. “What support can we provide to them for their care as members of our Jewish community? How can we leverage current resources or find new resources to support those needs?”
